Delaware heroin death rate in 2016 9th highest in nation

Delaware saw a sharp increase in drug overdose deaths, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

Nationwide, this represents a50 percent increase over five years and 225 percent increase since 1999.

Delaware ranked ninth in the rate of overdose deaths, with neighboring Maryland and Pennsylvania also seeing high numbers.

Trust for America’s Health’s analysis of the data found that:

· Overdose rates increased in 40 states and Washington, D.C. between 2015 and 2016.

· Seventeen states had increases of 25 percent or more.The largest increases were in Washington, D.C. (109 percent), Maryland (59 percent) and Florida (46 percent). Rates decreased in nine states.

· The highest 2016 drug death rates were in West Virginia (52.0 per 100,000 deaths), Ohio (39.1 per 100,000 deaths) and New Hampshire (39.0 per 100,000 deaths).

· In 2016, 24 states and Washington, D.C. had rates above 20 per 100,000 deaths. In 2005, no state had a rate above 20 per 100,000 deaths and only five states had rates above 15 per 100,000 deaths.

Around two-thirds of these deaths were opioid-related. The increase was largely driven by the continued escalation of deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic.

Heroin-related deaths totaled around 15,500 and there were 14,500 prescription painkiller deaths. Death from all other drugs other than fentanyl and other synthetic opioids only rose by 3 percent.

“The escalating growth of opioid deaths is downright frightening – and it’s getting worse,” said John Auerbach,president and CEO of TFAH. “Every community has been impacted by this crisis and it’s getting lots of headlines, yet we’re not making the investments or taking the actions needed at anywhere near the level needed to turn the tide.”